What does a 1980 arcade game have to do with artificial intelligence?

More than you'd think.

This week on Side Quest Energy, Dan introduces Jono to Missile Command — a simple Atari game built during the Cold War.

At first glance, it's just pixels, missiles, and explosions.

But underneath?

A surprisingly powerful lesson about fear, technology, responsibility, and what happens when humans create tools that become bigger than themselves.

That conversation takes us somewhere unexpected.

From nuclear anxiety in the 1980s...

To AI in 2026.

Can AI be trusted?

Should it be regulated?

Are we building tools that help humanity level up...

Or creating problems we're not prepared to solve?

Along the way, we explore everything from AI therapists and digital loneliness to the challenges facing the next generation growing up with artificial intelligence from day one.

And then the conversation gets personal.

Jono shares the philosophy behind BOOSTWOM and why he's betting on something surprisingly old-fashioned in an AI-driven future:

Human trust.

Word of mouth.

Real customer experiences.

While everyone else seems focused on replacing people with technology, he's trying to figure out how technology can amplify genuine human connection instead.

We also talk about:

• Why reviews have become the modern version of word of mouth

• The hidden story inside Missile Command

• The difference between AI as a tool and AI as a decision maker

• Why loneliness may be a bigger threat than technology itself

• How small businesses can compete in an AI-powered world

• The challenge of raising kids in a future none of us fully understand

• What happens when technology evolves faster than regulation

And, as always...

We finish with the question that sits at the heart of Side Quest Energy:

How are you leveling up?

Because sometimes the side quest turns out to be the main quest.

And sometimes a conversation about an old arcade game becomes a conversation about the future of humanity.

Welcome back to Side Quest Energy.

Let's dive in.

In this episode, Dan and Jono explore their podcasting journey, the impact of technology on content creation, and personal experiences with neurodiversity, particularly ADHD. They discuss the challenges and insights gained from cognitive testing, the emotional journey of understanding ADHD, and the importance of therapy in personal growth.

ADHD Test Results

What starts as a conversation about podcasting… quickly turns into something else entirely.

A deep dive into creativity.

Storytelling.

Why people feel compelled to make things.

And why some people simply can’t stop pulling on weird little threads until they turn into full-blown obsessions.

This week, Jono and Dan sit down with filmmaker, storyteller, and creator of the podcast Jacob Reed and Me — Jacob Reed.

What follows is part creative masterclass… part late-night hangout… and part accidental therapy session.

They talk about:

The strange psychology behind making podcasts

Why “low effort projects” sometimes become life-changing

The brutal endurance game of creative work

AI slop, internet propaganda, and raising kids online

Same-name coincidences and investigative storytelling

Parasocial relationships and hearing your own voice back

Why most creatives fail simply because they quit

And the weird side quests that somehow become the main quest

There’s also:

Miss Rachel references.

Deadlock gaming talk.

Stories about Jimmy Kimmel Live.

A hotline for people with the same name.

And a surprisingly deep discussion about Shakespeare, self-doubt, and pooping on a mountain called Mount Disappointment.

In other words…

Exactly the kind of conversation this podcast was built for.